Numbers regarding obesity rates by state and large metro area do indeed change from year to year.

However, the top 3 heaviest states in most recent years have generally been Arkansas, Mississippi, and West Virginia.

Colorado has been consistently the skinniest - glad I don't live there.

But what might be just as important, is how cities/metro areas of substantial population might rank. This is something I found with recent data, which I find illuminating.

www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2025/03/19/overweight-cities

Yeah. I didn't actually gain much of anything in college.

My experience might have been atypical, because I never lived in a dorm room. That also meant no access to unlimited buffets, which might be more a meme that I suspect may not be grounded in reality, but perhaps more wishful thinking. Horny brain, maybe?

I lived in an apartment and bought food at the supermarket, like most folks.

It's true that a typical condition of a lease for a fast food joint on campus is that they must accept meal plans for dorm residents, which seems reasonable.

But at one local university (not my alma-mater), I learned from someone who did attend there, they do things a little differently. If someone only wants to use the meal plan, you're only limited to certain items and quantities. In fact, there was a lot of studying and engineering, if you will, in an attempt to get a much food as possible within that constraint. I don't recall the exact amounts but it would be very difficult, likely impossible to get fat that way.

I don't know how widespread that is, but I doubt that university is the only one.

And it's no secret that while the situation varies considerably, some students don't really have much money to spare.

Another phenomenon I remember noticing, at least in my area, at the time, was basically this. When the weekend arrived, you always have money for partying, even if sometimes it's not the cheapest thing.

I get it. I went to house parties like that a good bit when I was in high school and college. It's an experience unlike any other. It could get rowdy, blaring bad music and the beer was often the cheap stuff (Natural Light - "Natty" or Keystone), but there's nothing else quite like it. It's part of the quintessential college experience, and if you don't experience that, your experience isn't complete.

Even if you try to do it again with a bunch of friends in your 30s, 40s, 50s, it's just not the same. No, or at least a lot fewer crazy antics, the music isn't as loud, everyone taps out faster.

Then of course, once almost everyone in your peer group turns age 21, it's off to the bars, which of course is considerably more expensive.

But where am I going with this?

That's money you aren't spending on food.

I do recall one young woman who apparently gained from 120-125ish to around 175, which I only knew because she actually volunteered that information at one point. However, the personality clash meant there was no reason for me to try anything. I also recall she seemed like the uncommon exception, rather than the rule.

It's been years but I recall once reading an article that said that in the U.S., the average amount of weight gained for a traditional freshman (that is, 18 years old, just out of high school, enrolled full-time) was 6 lbs, and I think around an additional 3-4 lbs for sophomore year.

So, sorry to burst some bubbles.

Of course, that's an average. Some, lose weight.

Others, there's no statistically significant change.

And yeah, there's some who pack on a little, or even a lot.

What happens, and whether it does, likely depends on a great many things. The only constant is that transition from high school to college is a major one, where almost everything changes and disrupted.

Your day to day schedule changes dramatically. The town and where you live might have changed dramatically. Even the courses are different. If you have a job, that too is likely to be different. Even if you work at the same chain business, the layout of the store will be different as would be most if not all of your coworkers.

While there are other possible life events that might be comparable in terms of sheer disruption, these other events are not as likely to be experienced by most.

I can't say I've thought about it in exactly that way before. But it makes sense.

Crossing across these "zones" as you call them, can result in substantial lifestyle change. That is an enormous ask that I'm not sure anyone can really ask. Even if such an ask is made, I don't think anyone is entitled to it.

For example, suppose someone really, really enjoys playing volleyball, or going hiking and being in nature. Suppose also for that someone, it's a primary source of enjoyment and entertainment, which for some folks, it is. Some even like to run marathons, for reasons I don't really understand and is a view I don't personally share.

If this person were to cross into the supersize zone, this person would have to give that up. This source of enjoyment will no longer be available. Depending on the person, this could result in depression and misery. I would not want to wish that on anyone, and perhaps you don't either.

Someone already above that size, has likely already made peace with it or accepted it, or was never that interested in such activities the first place.

Lifestyle changes aside, it can also result in substantial change in public perception, which the individual might not be ready or prepared for. That too can be a big ask.

In way, it's at least in part why in real life, from a point of practicality and feasibility, I tend to prefer individuals who are already quite fat or at least, beyond these thresholds. Such questions, big asks, and potential crisis in identity, don't arise.

I could also see it as a matter of respect. To highlight that, I'll present an example that doesn't have to do with weight or size at all.

Sometimes, I like to play video games, albeit primarily single player. They don't overwhelm my life, or have a meaningfully negative impact on me. It's not always logical, and often have no practical value beyond entertainment.

I can go awhile without playing video games if a situation calls for it. If I play a multiplayer game, I'll give it my best shot, but if I lose, I don't take it seriously because it's just not that important at the end of the day. I won't do the digital equivalent of flipping the board by throwing a tantrum from losing. If it's not convenient to play a game, I'll save and then pick up where I left off before.

I think you get the idea. However, it is something I do enjoy, and I'll probably always play some video games for the rest of my life.

But apparently, some don't like that, and don't think I should play them at all. I don't know if it's because of stereotypes of preconceived misconceptions, but it doesn't matter. If a woman were to tell me to never play them anymore, I'm telling her to stick it where the sun doesn't shine. Why? It's all about respect.

This doesn't apply to just video games, it applies to just about anything else. Playing music, making art, writing, gardening, being a gearhead/working on cars (which actually has practical value), etc.

No one likes it when others try to substantially change them, and such relationships nearly always end badly. It's all about respect. Note this is not the same as compromise, having conversations, and working something out, a hallmark of any good, healthy relationship.

Not wanting to put someone into another "zone" because of the changes this could require, some of which might be unacceptable to the person, makes perfect sense.

No worries There is a specific board for personals ads, which this reads like.

Moving it there.

Substantial misrepresentation, or catfishing is also unacceptable and is a potentially ban worthy offense. While they might not being trying to scam you out of money, they often engage in the same kind of behavior. In some ways, it might even be worse, since this is what predators may do.

Certain amounts of fudging is acceptable and even expected. Examples include, but not necessarily limited to might be:

- Height is off by an inch or so.
- Weight is not expected to be up to the day or minute accurate. If you don't want to say, you can use an extreme that clearly doesn't fit the pictures provided (e.g. 100 lbs or 800 lbs).
- You aren't expected to answer income or occupation, etc.
- Location doesn't have to be entirely accurate. It's accepted, even expected that users who don't live in a large city, will often choose the nearest larger city or metro area as a balance between privacy as opposed to cultural and potential meet-up purposes.
- Any pictures of you, if provided, are expected to closely represent what you look like now, or properly represented to mean this is what you looked like in the past.
- No one is expected to potentially highlight negative traits.

I think you get the idea.

This is in contrast to substantial misrepresentation. Where if you were to somehow meet this person face to face, the individual is nothing at all like you expected. Examples of this include:

- Images that look nothing at all like the person, and aren't labeled as such, or it's not immediately obvious it's not.
- Age being incorrect. You can use an extreme outlier if you don't want to answer.
- A male pretending to be female, or vice versa. If you don't want to answer, you can set it to "other." We do recognize that some individuals could discover being trans, but that's why the options of "trans-woman" and "trans-man" exists.
- Pretending to live in another country.

These policies are in place to protect not just you, but both parties in fact. Not to mention, it saves time in case it means you aren't each others' type.

After all, suppose you do ultimately meet the person face to face? What do you think will happen? At best, one person might get up and leave immediately, or might perhaps say something like "Get the fuck out of here, right now." At worst, it could result in severe physical altercation, significant injury, and the police potentially getting involved.

Roleplay isn't prohibited, but you don't have to misrepresent your profile to engage in it, and agree to certain parameters before commencing.